Hebron, South Hebron Hills, Thu 4.10.12, Morning
Translator: Charles K.
06:45-09:30
Highway 60
The road is still slumbering, few cars and few children on their way to school.
We observed a few military vehicles – for example, at the entrance to Dahariyya (not detaining anyone).
Hebron
The old/new entrance to Kiryat Arba, the northernmost, has been upgraded by a wide, two-lane road, bordered by a sidewalk, streetlights in the median.
The entrance to Hebron has been repaved up to Curve 160. Beit HaMeriva is now called “Beit Hashalom” on large signs posted around it, still closed and surrounded by fences, but the settlers are already planning their return with the help of the courts (according to leaflets they’re distributing near the Cave of the Patriarchs, littering the nearby plazas).
The Naha”l soldiers are still there. We had a conversation with a polite soldier stationed up Shuhadeh Street who made sure to tell us that his views differ from ours, but that’s ok.
Large trash containers have been placed along Shuhadeh Street; the area up the road from the Pharmacy checkpoint looks clean and festive. It seems that the rubble from the buildings in the former commercial area has also been removed, widening the road. Who did it?
The cleanliness of the Palestinian area was the complete opposite of what we saw around the Cave of the Patriarchs: the soldiers told us that 40,000 people had come during the past two days. Apparently each of them made certain to throw their garbage in the street and in the parking and picnic areas. In particular, we saw large piles of garbage opposite the souvenir stores belonging to ‘Abed and his friends.
‘Abed is annoyed, and rightly so. They were forced to close their shops for the holiday, so he couldn’t earn any money, and now that he’s again permitted to open he has to deal with the garbage left by the visitors in order to bring his mobile displays out to the space in front of the store. Even the Arab street cleaner looks despairing because of the huge piles of trash he must load into his small cart.
We also stopped by Michael’s house, which was closed and locked, but there are plants out front that someone must be watering.
A Braslav hassid immersed himself in Abraham’s Spring, deep in prayer, while armed, helmeted soldiers sat guarding him under the olive trees next to the spring. – did he pray for us also?
It was quiet and deserted as usual on our way back via Zif junction. The desert is thirsty for water, and we see hardly any sheep.
Hebron
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According to Wye Plantation Accords (1997), Hebron is divided in two: H1 is under Palestinian Authority control, H2 is under Israeli control. In Hebron there are 170,000 Palestinian citizens, 60,000 of them in H2. Between the two areas are permanent checkpoints, manned at all hours, preventing Palestinian movement between them and controlling passage of permit holders such as teachers and schoolchildren. Some 800 Jews live in Avraham Avinu Quarter and Tel Rumeida, on Givat HaAvot and in the wholesale market.
Checkpoints observed in H2:
- Bet Hameriva CP- manned with a pillbox
- Kapisha quarter CP (the northern side of Zion axis) - manned with a pillbox
- The 160 turn CP (the southern side of Zion axis) - manned with a pillbox
- Avraham Avinu quarter - watch station
- The pharmacy CP - checking inside a caravan with a magnometer
- Tarpat (1929) CP - checking inside a caravan with a magnometer
- Tel Rumeida CP - guarding station
- Beit Hadassah CP - guarding station
Three checkpoints around the Tomb of the Patriarchs
Raya YeorDec-18-2025Hebron - Yusri Jaber and part of his family
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South Hebron Hills
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South Hebron Hills
South Hebron Hills is a large area in the West Bank's southern part.
Yatta is a major city in this area: right in the border zone between the fertile region of Hebron and its surroundings and the desert of the Hebron Hills. Yatta has about 64,000 inhabitants.
The surrounding villages are called Masafer Yatta (Yatta's daughter villages). Their inhabitants subsist on livestock and agriculture. Agriculture is possible only in small plots, especially near streams. Most of the area consists of rocky terraces.Since the beginning of the 1980s, many settlements have been established on the agricultural land cultivated by the Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills region: Carmel, Maon, Susia, Masadot Yehuda, Othniel, and more. Since the settlements were established and Palestinians cultivation areas have been reduced; the residents of the South Hebron Hills have been suffering from harassment by the settlers. Attempts to evict and demolish houses have continued, along with withholding water and electricity. The military and police usually refrain from intervening in violent incidents between settlers and Palestinians do not enforce the law when it comes to the investigation of extensive violent Jewish settlers. The harassment in the South Hebron Hills includes attacking and attempting to burn residential tents, harassing dogs, harming herds, and preventing access to pastures.
There are several checkpoints in the South Hebron Hills, on Routes 317 and 60. In most of them, no military presence is apparent, but rather an array of pillboxes monitor the villages. Roadblocks are frequently set up according to the settlers and the army's needs. These are located at the Zif Junction, the Dura-al Fawwar crossing, and the Sheep Junction at the southern entrance to Hebron.
Updated April 2022
MuhammadFeb-24-2026South Hebron Hill, Beit Hagai: Paving an internal security road
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